Do I have any chance of getting in?

Colleges & Universities A-Z Cornell University
1

<p>I've recently decided that I've very inclined to apply to Cornell, but do I have any chance of getting in? I know there's no definite way to determine whether or not I'll be accepted, but I feel that hearing from actual Cornell students would help give me a idea at least. :)</p>

<p>Stats:</p>

<p>Weighted GPA: 4.625 (currently but will be raised because I'm taking 2 more AP classes this year)</p>

<p>Unweighted GPA: 3.85</p>

<p>Currently ranked number 8 in a class of 507</p>

<p>I've taken all honors (except classes like Spanish where you can't take honors at my school) and by the time I graduate, I will have taken 5 AP classes (including taken AP Senior English [or AP English Literature] in my sophomore year.) I will also have taken Statistics and Life Management Skills at a community college. </p>

<p>AP Scores:</p>

<p>AP English Literature - 5
AP English Language and Composition - 5
AP U.S. History - 5</p>

<p>SAT I score was 800 Writing, 740 Critical Reading, and 600 Math (overall, 2140), but I'm retaking it in November.</p>

<p>SAT II - U.S. History (710); taking Literature in October (expecting high 700's or an 800) </p>

<p>Extracurriculars:</p>

<p>1.) Scriptwriting (created and have been writing scripts for an original television series for the past 6 years, began scriptwriting when I was 8 for a different original series)</p>

<p>2.) Creative writing (written at least seven novellas, five short stories, and one in-progress novel)</p>

<p>3.) Playwriting (one play written)</p>

<p>4.) Songwriting (have a small portfolio of lyrics I've written over the past four years)</p>

<p>5.) Poetry (larger portfolio of poetry I've written)</p>

<p>6.) Affinity Independent Film Company (freshman - senior year)
-Acting (starred in one full-length independent film and a cameo in another)
-Cinematography (two full-length independent films)
-Creative consulting (three full-length independent films)
-Directing (one short film)
-Writing (one short film and another in-progress feature-length)</p>

<p>7.) Animation Appreciation Club (freshman - senior year)</p>

<p>8.) Newspaper Club (freshman year)
-Staff writer for the school newspaper</p>

<p>9.) Senior Class Council (senior year)</p>

<p>Community Service:</p>

<p>1.) Drama-coaching middle school students for play productions for two summers (35 hours)</p>

<p>2.) Assisting teachers and students at an elementary school (about 200 hours)</p>

<p>3.) Participated in two episodes of a local television program called "Today's Family" as a guest speaker (5 hours)</p>

<p>4.) Junior Honor Guard <a href="10%20hours">top 10 students, assisting with graduation ceremony and senior banquet</a></p>

<p>Special Events:</p>

<p>1.) Junior Honor Guard </p>

<p>2.) Won third place in Voice of Democracy competition</p>

<p>3.) Won local poetry competition four times</p>

<p>I think that's about it. I feel I may be forgetting something, but...anyway, I'd really appreciate any feedback about my chances of getting in and any advice you have to offer! Thank you so much for your time. :)</p>

2

<p>Focus on your writing talents, get rid of the fluff like one year things (unless it’s something that can only have been done one year) and other EC’s that have no real dedication to them. Show why you’re a fit for Cornell and how you can take advantage of Cornell’s opportunities to advance your writing skills, and you should have a good shot.</p>

3

<p>Thanks for the feedback! :slight_smile: So, out of the EC’s I listed, which do you think they’d view as fluff? Almost all of them I have been doing for 4+ years. The only ones I haven’t are Newspaper Club (but this is another writing-oriented activity, so do you think I should list it?), drama-coaching (but those are special summer-only programs), Senior Class Council (I guess only available for one year), and the “special events” (should I get rid of them?) Thanks again for the advice.</p>

4

<p>Basically anything that’s there that’s small and not a commitment type thing. For example the VOD 3rd place. If it’s a big/important thing, then make sure you find a way to convey that to them (3rd out of x competitors, etc), but if it’s not, then maybe just leave it out.</p>

<p>But the honor guard can be rolled into the community service and the poetry competition can be rolled into your artistic endeavors.</p>

<p>The key is figuring out how to present your activities so they appear focused and important and commited, rather than having tons of little things that by themselves are probably insignificant.</p>

5

<p>Oh, okay, I see what you mean; thanks! :D</p>

<p>Anyone else willing to chance me? :)</p>

6

<p>I think you have a great chance of getting in. 80/100 percentage wise. Again, emphasize your writing talents in your essay and let the counselors know what you have done! Oh, and is the TV series airing?</p>

7

<p>You might want to focus a bit more on science and math-related subjects. The academic prowess seems almost predominantly one-sided.</p>

8

<p>Thanks so much, meowmix! And no, the TV series is not airing; it’s a fictional dramatic series, and I’m sure you know how difficult it is for minors (and even industry professionals!) to get proper representation, producers interested in making your show, etc. Hopefully once I graduate college…:slight_smile: </p>

<p>And Islander, I’m not sure exactly what you mean. English and history/social sciences are definitely my strongest areas, and that’s why I didn’t take any math/science AP classes (I knew I wouldn’t perform strongly enough in them.) However, while I didn’t take the one AP science class offered at my school (AP Bio), I took all the other most difficult science classes offered at my school (Honors Conceptual Physics freshman year [got an A], Honors Chemistry sophomore year **, Honors Biology junior year [A]). For math, I took Honors Geometry freshman year [got an A] and Honors Algebra II sophomore year [got a B]. I’m taking Statistics at a community college this spring.</p>

<p>So, do you think this is enough? Or what suggestions do you have for focusing on math and science more? Thanks for your feedback. :)</p>